1921 — South Africa’s cricket team is dominated by Australia who win the third and final test at Newlands by 10 wickets to take the series 1-0. Billy Zulch’s 50 in South Africa’s first innings was the top score for the home side, who made 180 and 216 in their two knocks. The visitors needed just one run to win the match. They sent out tail-enders Arthur Mailey, a spin bowler, and Sammy Carter, a specialist wicketkeeper. Mailey scored the winning run off the first ball, delivered by batsman Philip Hands, who bowled just 37 balls in test cricket without taking a wicket.
1956 — Daan Bekker secures an Olympic heavyweight boxing medal for South Africa at the Melbourne Games as he wins his quarterfinal bout by knocking out Argentinian Jose Giorgetti in the first round. Bekker, a policeman, put his opponent through the ropes at one point. Henry Loubscher, a fitter and turner, also advanced to the light-welterweight semifinals by outpointing American Joseph Shaw, a Golden Gloves champion from St Louis. Both Bekker and Loubscher went on to lose their semifinal bouts, which meant they became automatic bronze medallists. Bekker was beaten by eventual gold medallist Pete Rademacher of the US, who later unsuccessfully challenged Floyd Patterson for the world heavyweight crown in his professional debut. Loubscher also lost to the eventual champion, Vladimir Yengibaryan of the Soviet Union.
1971 — South African Tienie Britz fires a five-under-par 67 in the 18-hole three-way play-off to win the country’s first mixed-race golf tournament, the Louis Luyt PGA championship, at Huddle Park’s blue course. Peter Oosterhuis of Britain shot 70 and Rhodesian Donald Gammon 71. They had all finished tied for the lead two days earlier on 280.
1994 — Captain Hansie Cronje top-scores with 62 as the Proteas are bowled out for 189, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs to lose the first test against New Zealand at the Wanderers by 137 runs.
1997 — Bobby Skinstad makes his Springbok debut from the bench as South Africa beat England 29-11 at Twickenham. Lock Mark Andrews, prop Adrian Garvey, centre Andre Snyman and scrumhalf Werner Swanepoel scored tries, with flyhalf Henry Honiball kicking two conversions and a penalty, and fullback Percy Montgomery adding one conversion.
2002 — Graeme Smith scores 99 and Boete Dippenaar 89 as the Proteas beat Sri Lanka by 177 runs in the second ODI at Centurion to lead the five-match series 2-0. South Africa posted 317/6 before bowling out the visitors for 140, Makhaya Ntini taking 3/38.
2006 — Herschelle Gibbs scores 93 not out as the Proteas beat India by 80 runs in the fourth ODI at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth to lead the five-match series 3-0. South Africa posted 243/8 before bowling the Indians out for 163, with Justin Kemp taking three wickets.
2009 — England bowler James Anderson takes five wickets for 23 runs as the Proteas collapse to 119 all out in what turned out to be the deciding fourth ODI in Port Elizabeth. Alviro Petersen top-scored with 51 in an innings where Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher were the only other South African batsmen to reach double figures. The English lost just three wickets as they knocked off the required runs with 112 balls remaining. South African-born Jonathan Trott was unbeaten on 52. With the first and last ODIs of the five-match series being abandoned because of bad weather, England won the 2-1.
2014 — The Springboks are beaten 12-6 in a try-less contest against Wales at Millennium Stadium.
2016 — Lizelle Lee top-scores with 44 as the South African women, needing 261 for victory, lose the final fifth ODI against Australia at Coffs Harbour by 43 runs, going down 0-4 in the series.
2020 — Dawid Malan scores 55 off 40 balls to help England beat the Proteas by four wickets with one delivery remaining in Paarl and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-T20 series. South Africa posted 146/6, with Quinton de Kock top-scoring with 30 off 18 balls, and George Linde adding a late 29.
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